There are certain inherent difficulties that occur when handling a pen, pencil or other writing implement. The same holds true for other types of marking implements such as paint brushes.
One problem involves the visibility of the proximity of the marking surface where the marking implement is being applied. It is common practice to grasp the marking implement approximately in that manner. Ones hand naturally blocks the area proximal to the point of application of the markings and obscures visibility.
Additionally, by requiring the user to grasp the marking implement adjacent to the marking tip, the freedom of movement of the marking implement is restricted. This results in the presence of a lack of total freedom for freehand "writing or drawing".
In respect to children in particular, the fact that they must hold the marking implement adjacent the tip which obscures their view of the writing surface causes the child to often adjust his hand position to an improper location to improve visibility.
A child will often move his head as well, in order to see what he is writing or drawing. Children will put their heads on the table surface to be able to see, and this results in poor penmanship and limits perspective.
There is also less guidance in the art of penmanship. The "old school" of pen and ink required the writing implement to be held in a certain way, and accordingly, care was required in order to produce an acceptable result. In contrast, with modern writing implements such as ball-point pens and the like, writing styles can be more carefree, casual and faster, and correspondingly, less controlled.
A further difficulty that often occurs with marking implements is that once use is complete, and reuse in not to occur for a period of time, the marking implement must be put aside until needed again. This can give rise to several problems. The marking implements are generally round, and thus, it is difficult to place them in a stable and secure position where they will remain out of the way. Additionally, the marking tips are often placed in a precarious position where they can inadvertently mark surfaces in an undesirable manner during non-use. It would clearly be desirable to provide a means for facilitating controlled positioning of the marking implement and its use so that it is retained in a non-deleterious out of the way position and yet is readily accessible for re-use. It should be supported so that it will not freely become displaced and lost or caused undesirable and unwanted markings on the marking surface.